Stephen Hawking: 'I fear AI may replace humans altogether'

And yet our world increasingly resembles a fictional one, accelerating towards a dystopian reality that few would have predicted just a few years ago. Despite science's inexorable march of progress - from the discovery of new cancer drugs to the development of quantum computation - extremist political movements and the wanton spread of falsehoods frustrate its dissemination. This opposition to scientific culture has real consequences: diseases once eradicated re-emerge as anti-vaccination beliefs spread; cataclysmic hurricanes batter entire cities as climate-change denial prevents global solutions; democratic elections are undermined by shadowy adversaries using digital technology. In March this year, the scientific community, beleaguered by the anti-science sentiment stoked by conservative populism, took to the streets, marching for science across cities around the world. But as science becomes politicised, should scientists become political?